Binational Fellowship Advisory Group

Rosario Marin is an entrepreneur, international public speaker, and author who advises two corporations in Australia and Mexico.

She served in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cabinet as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency, where she oversaw the procurement of nearly $9 billion worth of goods and services, the management and development of the 1,600+ state’s real estate properties, oversight of the nation’s most significant state employee pension funds CAL STRS and CAL PERS, the collection of state taxes over $104 billion – the equivalent of the GDP of the eighth largest global economy, and programs managing a state workforce of more than 250,000 people, the state’s civil rights enforcement, consumer protection, and the licensing of 2.4 million Californians in more than 255 different professions.

Appointed by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Ms. Marin served as the 41st Treasurer of the United States.

As Chairwoman of the California Integrated Waste Management Board from 2004 to 2006, Ms. Marin successfully attained California’s 50 percent recycling mandate. In addition, Ms. Marin served as elected councilmember and Mayor of the City of Huntington Park.

Ms. Marin has held numerous leadership positions with nonprofit boards. She currently serves on the CSULA Foundation Board and formerly served for nine years on the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.

She has been awarded countless recognitions for her contributions, including four Honorary Doctorate degrees.

Ms. Ortiz Ortega is a Mexican lawyer, political analyst, speaker, columnist, and TV host.

Former CEO at the Mexican Council of Foreign Relations (COMEXI), an independent, non-partisan think tank studying global trends and their impact in Mexico. Previously, she was a consultant partner at GEA, Grupo de Economistas y Asociados, overviewing the political perspective area and opinion polls.

Veronica is a member of the board at Fundacion EstePaís and participates in various advisory committees in the private sector, such as the Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas (IMEF), the Centro de Estudios Econmicos del Sector Privado (CEESP/CCE), and the Consejo Consultivo Metropolitano de Citibanamex. She’s an associate with the International Women’s Forum, Mexico Chapter (IWF) and a fellow of HOPELatinas, a US-based organization that promotes political and economic equality for Latina women.

Ms Ortiz speaks for domestic and foreign audiences and is a frequent guest in Mexican media. She publishes a biweekly column, “Ventana Poltica,” in El Heraldo de México and hosts, along with journalist Leonardo Curzio, the series “Incursionando” for Canal del Congreso.

Veronica graduated from Law School at Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City and pursued courses in Law and Society at Oxford University. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French.

She lives with her husband between Mexico City and Washington, D.C. They have three sons.